1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a thermal transfer apparatus for transferring an image such as a color image onto a recording paper by the use of an inked film, and more particularly to improvements in and concerning an inked film cassette for holding the inked film for use in a thermal transfer recording apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
The thermal transfer recording apparatus is provided with a platen and a thermal head pressed fast against or moved freely from the platen and is adapted to convey between the platen and the thermal head a recording paper as positioned on the platen side and an inked film as positioned on the thermal head side. The inked film is otherwise called as thermal transfer recording medium, ink carrier, inked sheet, inked ribbon, or simply as film. Normally, it is used as held within a cassette.
Since this cassette is designed so that the inked film is wound on one end around a takeup reel and on the other end around a supply reel which are positioned as mutually separated by a prescribed distance through the medium of a thermal transfer part, it is generally provided at the opposite ends of the cassette proper or casing with a takeup reel holding part and a supply reel holding part adapted respectively to accommodate therein the takeup reel and the supply reel mentioned above.
One of the conventional inked film cassettes for use in the thermal transfer recording apparatus disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application SHO No. 61(1986)-235,172. This cassette is designed so as to be freely attached to or detached from the thermal transfer recording apparatus. The takeup reel holding part and the supply reel holding part disposed at the opposite ends of the cassette casing are positioned on the lower side of the cassette casing. Inside the thermal transfer apparatus, the thermal head is fixed as positioned on the upper side of the cassette casing. The platen roller adapted to come into contact with this thermal head is attached to the thermal transfer recording apparatus in such a manner as to be pressed fast against or removed freely from the thermal head. The recording paper is conveyed between the inked film and the platen roller.
The thermal head is intended to form a given image on the recording paper by thermally transferring the corresponding part of a layer of ink formed in the inked film onto the recording paper in compliance with an image signal and, therefore, is adapted to generate heat in itself. Normally, therefore, the thermal transfer apparatus is provided with a cooling fan to be used for cooling the thermal head. Where the image projected on the display of the television receiver is formed onto a relatively small recording paper as in the video printer, the thermal transfer recording apparatus to be used is desired to be miniaturized or made small. When the recording paper is used in the form of separate sheets in the place of a continuous roll as disclosed in the aforementioned patent publication, the apparatus is required to be provided with a paper feeding cassette for accommodating such sheets of the recording paper and a discharge paper part for receiving and storing the sheets of the recording paper which have undergone the transfer operation. The idea of having these parts incorporated in the apparatus and, at the same time, effecting the aforementioned .cooling of the thermal head with a relatively small cooling fan, therefore, has proved to be impracticable because the reel holding parts mentioned above interfere with the flow of the cooling air.